Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Louden.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story really has humble beginnings, which I am so grateful for, as I believe it taught me to always do more with less. My parents were both immigrants to the U.S., and at one point we lived in a two-bedroom, 5-story walk up in the Bronx—all 6 of us! I am the oldest of four, and my dad was a missionary doctor who had a passion for education, and my mom worked as a night nurse on a geriatric floor on the night shift.
At an early age, I needed to learn how to take care of myself and my brothers and sister as my parents worked hard to provide but to also live out their passions in healthcare. I went to a Catholic school and church and family (also neighbors as a family) were such a cornerstone of my childhood. We moved to Florida when I was 13 and everything really changed. The culture shock was real for me at a time when I was figuring out my own identity as a young girl. By 16, I dropped out of high school and moved to a small island in the Caribbean. I was always someone who had to learn things “the hard way,” as my mom would say, but I prefer to think of it as “my own way.”
Through a series of events leading up to the sudden death of my father when I was 21, I was already very involved in both the service and healthcare industry. By 25, I opened my first company in cancer research and, by 37, I was in my third and present company, Total Health, the largest provider of free continuing medical education for cancer care teams all over the U.S.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been far from smooth, but I believe that for every setback, there is an opportunity for a comeback. I remember someone once saying to me, “How does it feel to have failed so much,” and I responded, “I don’t know, because I’ve never not tried the thing in my heart and head that says—take the shot—so for me, it’s really not a failure unless I didn’t try.”
A major challenge for me was first following my dreams when my oldest son Isaac was 10. It meant living and working in the Caribbean as a single mom and taking him from his comfort zone to such a different environment. He developed major separation anxiety. I wish I could say that I immediately responded, but the reality is that I didn’t prioritize his mental health over my professional goals until I felt that it was just too much for him. I try not to live with regret, but this is something I often think about. He is a healthy 19-year-old, living his best life and studying film and fashion in Austin, Texas, and I like to think that his own bravery came from having to overcome my unwillingness to retreat earlier.
Another struggle I experienced was receiving a diagnosis of a chronic, degenerative autoimmune disease after six years of worsening symptoms. Being “dis”-abled rocked the core of my identity. Who was I if not a doer? Living with widespread pain, brain fog, and debilitating fatigue is definitely challenging when balanced with being a wife, mom, and CEO of a company. I find strength in talking with other patients, pursuing holistic solutions, and spending as much time with my family as I can.
We’ve been impressed with Total Health Oncology, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Total Health Oncology is the largest provider of free continuing oncology medical education. We equip cancer care teams with the latest research and strategies to improve patient outcomes. We believe knowledge is power and our mission is to give people who are treating, or living with, cancer free resources that improve their quality of life and their goals of care.
What sets Total Health apart from others is that we incorporate the largely unheard patient voice. We have always ensured gender and ethnic equality at the podium, and we seek to highlight disparities in care for people living with cancer. We have recently developed the SEEK Workshop Program, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion accountability initiative that encourages cancer-care clinicians to pursue education and resources that help them better serve patients of color, with the mission of reducing disparities in care.
To be honest, it would be “on-brand” to say that I am most proud of the direction the company is moving, since People of Color are dying at unacceptable rates compared to White people with a cancer diagnosis. What I am honestly most proud of is my nearly all-female team and how they continue to respond by raising the bar in education and now in advocacy.
These men and women have a passion for people, an eagerness to apply their skills to create excellent learning environments, and a willingness to invest in professional and personal development to be the best contributors in our field.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It’s a tie between “don’t sweat the small stuff” and living in gratitude.
I guess you can say that if you are living in a state of gratitude, even for the hard things, you don’t have time or desire to worry about the things that can take your eye off the goal—which to me is living a life of purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website:
www.totalhealthoncology.com - Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/totalhealthconferencing/
